Arts News: 'Amistad,' the music suite, to get world premiere at UCSD

Cygnet's production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, part of the late August Wilson's “Pittsburgh Cycle” of works, was named best dramatic production and also earned awards for Delicia Turner Sonnenberg's direction and for acting ensemble. Cast members Antonio T.J. Johnson and Sylvia M'Lafi Thompson were named best male and female lead performers in a play.

In all, the Noel Awards – named for the Old Globe Theatre's founding director and longtime guiding light, now 93 years old – honored 13 local theater companies with 32 awards in 23 categories. The awards are presented by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle.

La Jolla Playhouse earned six awards, for David Lander's lighting and Derek McLane's set design in the play “33 Variations”; for Chad Kimball's lead acting in “Memphis” (which also was named outstanding new musical); for “Xanadu” (outstanding resident musical); and for Bill T. Jones' choreography in the hip-hop Aeschylus adaptation “The Seven.”

The Old Globe Theatre took four awards, for Patrick Page's featured performance and Larry Hochman's orchestrations in the musical “Dancing in the Dark;” for Anna Oliver's costume design in resident artistic director Darko Tresnjak's revival of “The Women”; and for Steven Drukman's boxing drama “In This Corner,” named best new play.

The young Ion Theatre Company won three awards, for Tim Boyce's sound design in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Linda Libby's solo acting in “Request Programme,” and Rachael Van Wormer's featured performance in “bash” (as well as Diversionary Theatre's “Corpus Christi”).

Other award-winners included San Diego Musical Theatre's “Dreamgirls,” which joined “Xanadu” as outstanding resident musical; Sean Murray (Cygnet's “A Little Night Music”) and Steve Glaudini (Moonlight Stage Productions' “Les Miserables”), best direction of a musical; Deborah Smyth, female lead performer in a musical for Lamb's Players Theatre's “The Light in the Piazza”; Tony Houck (Diversionary's “Scrooge in Rouge”) and Tonéx (“Dreamgirls” and San Diego Rep's “The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea”), male featured performance in a musical; and Lillias White (“The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea”), female featured performance in a musical.

Jo Anne Glover joined Van Wormer as best featured female performer in a play, for Cygnet's “The Receptionist”; male featured performers in a play were Manny Fernandes (New Village Arts' “Golden Boy”) and Bobby Plasencia (the Rep's “Water & Power”). And Tom Andrew earned a “body of work” award for roles in Inukshuk Productions' “Terra Nova,” Cygnet's “It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” and Mo'olelo's “Night Sky.” Jennifer Brawn Gittings won for her “Scrooge in Rouge” costumes.

Best touring production was “Spring Awakening,” presented by Broadway/San Diego.

The Critics Circle also presented special awards to local acting icon Jonathan McMurtry; Arthur Wagner, founder of UCSD's Department of Theatre and Dance; and Steve Karo, who was instrumental in the drive to restore downtown's Balboa Theatre.